Jonathan Gannon had a pretty good read on where Kirk Cousins was headed.
The Packers defensive coordinator said he’d “bet my car” the Vikings would trade for Cousins, according to a post on X by Tyler. That call turned out to be right after the Raiders sent Cousins to Minnesota for a third-round pick in the 2027 draft. Now Green Bay gets Cousins immediately, with the two teams set to meet Sunday in Green Bay.
Gannon’s comment came as he was leaving a press conference, and the exchange was posted this way by Tyler: “@mattschneidman: ‘Enjoy the Kirk Cousins tape.’ Jonathan Gannon:
Ha… I'd bet my car.’ ”
The Packers are still waiting on their superstar edge rusher, Micah Parsons, but the defense has already started to show signs of life. Parsons said back on September 16, three days after Green Bay dropped its season opener to the Minnesota Vikings, 39-22, that the group just needed to get right physically.
“We just need to get healthy,” Parsons told me on September 16, three days after the Packers lost their season opener to the Minnesota Vikings, 39-22. “I think once we get healthy, and I’m back on that grass or that turf, we’re going to take it to another level.”
There’s also been a clear fingerprint on the way Gannon is calling things. According to a post on X by Cody Alexander, Green Bay’s defense has been leaning into a disguise-heavy style that flips the usual script.
“The Green Bay defense does something no other NFL defense does on film. Instead of rotating from two-high shells into Cover 3, Jonathan Gannon flips his disguises, moving from closed to open post coverages.
“By moving single-high looks into split-field shells, Evan Williams could poach Digs from near the line of scrimmage, cratering Dak Prescott to a 20.6 rating and leading to critical interceptions.
Against the Cowboys, the Packers paired “Nail” and “Sand” B-gap pressures with shifts into Quarters and Cover 6 (QQH) to disrupt slide protection and confuse Dak Prescott. Pressure speeds up the clock; disguise creates doubt.”
That’s a lot to work with, and it helps explain why the Packers have been getting results. The real question now is what this defense looks like once Parsons is back in the mix.
In Other News...
Packers-Vikings Suddenly Carries Bigger NFC Stakes Than Expected
The Week 10 meeting with Minnesota has taken on a little more weight than a typical division game for Green Bay, with the Packers listed as three-point favorites at FanDuel and the NFC playoff race still crowded. Both the North and West divisions have multiple teams fighting for limited postseason spots, so every result around this stretch of the schedule is starting to matter a little more than it did a month ago.
Minnesotas quarterback situation adds another layer to the matchup, with Kyler Murray dealing with a hamstring injury and his availability in doubt for the Packers game. If he cannot go, Carson Wentz would be the next man up, and Green Bay will be watching closely because the difference between facing a healthy starter and a backup can shape how much this game can swing the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Are Stuck In A Division Race Unlike Anything The NFL Sees
The NFC North has turned into the kind of race that usually only exists on paper, with all four teams entering Week 10 sitting at least three games above .500. For Green Bay, the bigger picture is hard to ignore: the Packers are 6-3, right in the middle of a division where the Bears are 7-2, the Vikings are 6-1 and the Lions are 6-2, and every week seems to reshuffle the order without knocking anyone out of the hunt.
What makes it even more unusual is the pace the division is setting as a whole, with the NFC North piling up wins at a rate that has it tracking toward a historic finish. The Packers do not have the luxury of treating this like a normal division race, because the margin for error is tiny and the standard to keep up is unusually high, which is exactly why every game from here carries an outsized feel. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Is Driving A Packers Surge That Feels Bigger Now
After a slow start, the Packers have settled into a run that looks a lot more like the team they expected to be, winning five of their last six and getting steadier play from Jordan Love along the way. His recent outings against the Patriots and Bears helped push the offense forward, with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden giving him more help at wide receiver and the whole operation starting to feel more coordinated.
What has stood out most inside the building is how Love has kept stacking solid days together, something Matt LaFleur has pointed to as a big reason for the turnaround. The Packers are still sorting out just how high this stretch can carry them, but the combination of a calmer quarterback, emerging targets and a more confident offense has changed the tone around the team in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]